TWENTY-SIXTH SCROLL: THE IRON BAMBOO

With Blight's evil mist gone, daylight had returned to the city. The very air was now clear of the smell of disease, and replaced instead by the multitude of scents unique to cities. Now it was time to finish bringing the city back to life. Even though Blight was gone, there was still a lot of work to be done. But first, we needed to see Queen Himiko.

Thanks to the Veil of Mist, we were able to sneak past the guards and climb a massive staircase up to the summit of Queen Himiko's Palace. Getting inside was no problem, but once inside, we met an unexpected obstacle. Despite sneaking onto the elevator that rose far higher than I cared to think about, we were unable to see the Queen. At the top floor was a pool of lava! Yes, lava. And it wasn't an illusion; my singed fur can attest to that. I could swim through water, but lava was something else entirely. I had no Brush that could help me. Even Kazegami's Windstorm was not enough to cool the lava. So Issun and I turned around and snuck back outside. I circled the palace, but found no way to jump or climb the tall tower. We would need to find some other power or talisman in order to see Himiko. Issun was rather put out, but I hardly cared. Queen Himiko's power had not been enough to stop blight, so I doubted she could be of any help to us. Far better to spend my time eradicating any lingering traces of the curse.

However, as we left the palace, I saw a familiar figure hurrying towards the bridge leading out of the Aristocratic Quarter. It was Kaguya! I was surprised; I thought she would have left the city as quickly as she could, but she seemed…distracted. When Issun called out to her she jumped, startled, then bowed and thanked us. She was even prettier out here in the daylight, but now I could see that she really did have a glass bowl over her head. That hadn't been a trick of the light. And now that the air was clear, I noticed that she had a very strange scent. I couldn't quite tell what it was like, something light and airy but heady, like some kind of exotic flower, but also cold, like diamond dust. It was very strange, but not unpleasant. Oddly enough, it seemed…familiar somehow, although I could not think where I might have encountered it.

Issun told her that she should hurry home to her grandfather, for he was very worried about her. Kaguya turned her face away. Then, making a decision, she looked at me and said that she was not actually Mr. Bamboo's granddaughter. He had found her in a bamboo thicket when she was a child and had raised her as his own. She had no memory of her life before then. During her imprisonment in the Emperor's cell, she had thought long and hard and finally remembered something…being in a small, dark room. Now she felt that she had to find that room again, that something from her past was waiting for her there.

I felt my heart go out to Kaguya. I could understand her plight. Like her, I had no memory of my life before breaking free of the statue of Shiranui, only vague feelings and elusive recollections that told me nothing. I knew who I was, but not where I came from or what my life had been. Kaguya did not even have the security of knowing her true name or purpose. And now, like me, she was remembering something, perhaps a clue to her origins. I growled at Issun, hoping her could convey what I was thinking, but he didn't seem to be paying attention to her pain and confusion, insisting that she go see Mr. Bamboo. I wondered why he was so stuck on that point. Kaguya's lovely face filled with confusion and pain, and she shook her head. She said that she had to go find this place and tried to leave.

I raced around in front of her, blocking her way and barking. I did not want her traveling through Nippon unescorted. The Emperor had imprisoned her because she carried some kind of treasure. What would happen if someone else waylaid her? Issun finally got the message and asked Kaguya to wait in Sei-an City for a few days while we finished reviving the city. That way she would have time to think more and try to remember more precisely where she had to go and, when she remembered, we would take her there. Kaguya seemed both unsure of and relieved by our offer. She agreed to wait, but only if we promised not to tell Mr. Bamboo where she was. At least, not yet. Not until she was ready. I agreed, albeit a little reluctantly and took her to one of the inns Issun recommended, using some of the gold we'd acquired during our travels to pay for lodgings.

I spent the next several days in Sei-an City helping the people and the land recover from Blight's curse. I revived the cherry trees scattered throughout the city, much to the delight of Mr. Flower, who I suspected had studied flower-blooming-dance-techniques from Mr. Orange. We also helped a chef (and learned how to conjure a ball of fire in the process), brought medicine to a girl's sick father, aided a kimono merchant, played games with several children, saw the ghost of a man struck by lightning, and spent several long, frustrating nights chasing after a thief who'd stolen (among other things) a glass watch from a samurai, a bag of treats from a young boy, and a hairpin a man planned to give to his sweetheart. I also saw Rao, who congratulated us, but still seemed fixated on finding the Fox Rods, this time to get rid of the Water Dragon. I tried to steer clear of her as much as I could. I wasn't eager to go toe-to-toe with the Water Dragon just yet.

All of these things may seem small. But faith is made of small things. Small, everyday kindnesses that build and grow and allow faith to spread. The minor miracles that people don't think about brought to their attention. For the gods cannot exist without people having faith in them. Without that faith and praise to sustain us, we fade until we are just stories without power. And if our stories are forgotten, we perish. At least, that is what I have heard. I feel that someday the gods may no longer be able to walk among mortals, so I have done what I can to ensure that people remember these deeds and pass the tales onto their children, for these are the days of both danger and wonder.

Five days passed in Sei-an City, although Issun and I hardly rested during that time. There were too many things that could only be done at night. But on the fifth morning, Kaguya told us that she had remembered something else, a Royal Crest imprinted on the floor of the bamboo grove in Sasa Sanctuary. That was where we needed to go. It seemed that, for the present, our business in Sei-an City was done; we had found no treasure or talisman that would allow us to cross the lava in Queen Himiko's palace. It was time to fulfill our promise and escort Kaguya to her destination. Even though I wanted to help Kaguya, I felt strangely reluctant to begin this journey.

It did not take us long to reach Sasa Sanctuary. Kaguya rode on my back and we arrived just after dusk. Almost before I halted, Kaguya leapt from my back and raced into the Sparrow Inn. I followed, but was briefly mobbed by members of the Sparrow Clan who tried offering me praise, thanks, and service. I caught a glimpse of Kaguya disappearing down the hall towards the hot springs and grove before I managed to push my way past the eager Sparrows.

Once I reached the entrance to the grove, I felt some kind of energy shiver down my spine. There was a heaviness in the air under the scent of the night air and fresh bamboo, some like anticipation…but also sorrow. Something was happening, or going to happen. The moon was bright tonight, turning the grove silver. I reached the part of the grove with the great symbol pressed into the ground, the Royal Crest, as Kaguya called it. Two people were standing in the center. One of them was Kaguya. The other was Mr. Bamboo. I padded closer, not wanting to intrude, but wanting to listen all the same.

Both of them were crying, happy to see one another again. But when Mr. Bamboo joyfully announced that they should continue living together, making and selling bamboo, Kaguya pulled away. Mr. Bamboo realized that something was wrong. Sorrow filled Kaguya's voice as she said that she could not live with Mr. Bamboo, her adoptive grandfather anymore, that it would have been better…easier, if he had not been here to see her depart. Mr. Bamboo was stunned. He asked her where she was going, and she said that she was not sure, but the Crest in the earth called to her and she had to answer. It was the only way to find out the truth about her past. She spread her arms and a strange pale glow surrounded her. Before her feet, a similar silver glow formed a circle, then the earth crumbled, revealing a passage into the ground. She stared at the opening as if entranced, then leapt down into the darkness. Mr. Bamboo called after her, but there was no reply. Issun shouted for me to follow her, but I was already leaping. I could feel Kaguya's sense of urgency as if it were my own.

She was deeper within where the passage was blocked, digging at the earth with her bare hands. I whined and gently pushed her aside. It would be faster if I did it. Issun told Kaguya to stay back as the dirt flew from beneath my paws. I don't know how long I dug there in the dark, but suddenly my paws scraped against something that wasn't dirt or stone. Something…metallic. I cleared more dirt and felt something like a lever. Before I could do anything, Kaguya was beside me and pulled on the lever. The ground began to rumble, the vibration shaking me deep in my bones. I grabbed Kaguya by her kimono and dragged her out of the tunnel, hoping to reach the surface without the passage collapsing. The shaking intensified.

A final lunge brought us to the surface, gasping for the fresh night air. I herded Mr. Bamboo and Kaguya away from the center of the clearing, wondering if we'd somehow triggered and earthquake. But something far stranger was happening. The entire Crest was bathed in an intense light and something slowly rose from within that light. It was huge! It stood as tall as the tallest bamboo stalks in the grove, but was thick like the trunk of a tree. Three fins jutting from the sides like the legs of a stool, stabilizing the central stalk. The entire thing was made of metal with strange curved designs etched into the flaking, rusting metal. It must have stood in the ground for years, waiting for Kaguya to return. This…bamboo shoot of iron…it was not of this world. And I, a goddess, trembled in its presence. Kaguya stared in awe and whispered that this was it. This was what had been calling her, the mysterious link.

Mr. Bamboo was strangely silent. Then he sighed…and told us the true story of Kaguya. Many years ago, when he had come to cut bamboo, this great shoot had appeared and Kaguya, a cold and nearly lifeless child, had come tumbling from it. Then the shoot disappeared back into the ground. Mr. Bamboo and his wife, having no children of their own, nursed Kaguya back to health and raised her as their own. They had kept Kaguya's strange origins a secret, for they had feared that if Kaguya found she was not of this world, she would try to leave. Mr. Bamboo started to weep as he begged her not to go. His grief was so deep that I too started to moan softly. Kaguya started to cry as she tightly embraced her grandfather. She assured him that she had always thought of him and his dead wife as her real family and she loved him very much…but she still needed to go. She promised that she would return, but she needed to know where she had come from, what had happened to her people. Mr. Bamboo said that he understood and that he would wait for her, for she was still his precious grandchild.

Issun choked back a sob at those words and I wondered why. Was he thinking of his home too? Grief at Kaguya's imminent departure warred with worry. I feared that perhaps the iron bamboo shoot had sat too long in the earth. Could it still travel? And how? Would she survive the journey, and if she reached its end, would she be able, or even willing, to return? Then Kaguya turned to Issun and I. She knelt and embraced me and lightly patted Issun on the head with the tip of her finger. She thanked us for all of our help and then pulled a small bronzed tablet from within her robes. It had strange symbols carved on it and radiated a red aura that I sensed only I could see. Kaguya explained that this was the treasure the Emperor had imprisoned her for. It was the only thing she'd had for many years of her past, but she needed it no longer. It protected the wearer from the heat of flames. She ruffled my fur affectionately and rose.

It was time. We watched with Mr. Bamboo as Kaguya climbed into the iron bamboo shoot, which had one section near the top that was clear like crystal. Green light shown from within and then the three fins supporting the shoot started to smoke. I pulled Mr. Bamboo back as the fins burst into the flames. For a moment I was afraid the shoot was going to explode, but then I saw that the flames were controlled, a steady burst like that of a firework that propelled the bamboo shoot into the sky. It rose, higher and higher towards the moon and stars until it finally vanished into the night. I glanced over at Mr. Bamboo as a single shining tear slid down his cheek. A mournful howl rose in my throat but I held it back. I did not want to make Mr. Bamboo feel any worse. I nuzzled him and he patted my head with a deep sad sigh. I nudged him back towards the Sparrow Inn. It had been a long evening and he needed to get some rest out of the night air.

Once he and Issun were safely inside and snoring away, I returned to the bamboo grove. The great Royal Crest that had marked the resting place of the iron bamboo shoot was gone, the ground wiped clean as if it had never existed. I lay down in the center of the grove and looked up at the stars. I felt an overwhelming sense of loss, like a piece of myself had left with Kaguya. She was finally going to find the answers she sought. I was still filled with questions and had no bamboo shoot that could take me to the stars. I was a goddess and this was my land to protect. But I did not belong here. The gods were never meant to walk among mortals. So why was I here? Where was my home? Finally, exhausted and upset, I curled into a ball and fell into a troubled sleep, dreaming of a great iron flute that pierced the heart of the moon, a burning island floating in the sky, and wings made of golden hair.